Because right now, in this moment, she needed to stop staring at his finely tuned ass and figure out her next move.
Karre could take many things with a fake smile, a pretty pout or a well-played blink of her lashes. Riding a galloping animal that bounced her into Vidar’s back as she was forced to hold onto him wasn’t one of them. If her nerves weren’t stinging with wicked purpose, her backside was being spanked by the constant movement until, even several minutes after she had gotten off the horse, her ass was numb.
Glad to have an excuse to walk around, she heeded Vidar’s warning not to wander too far from the makeshift campground. It wasn’t as if she had anywhere to go. A fire burned in a small forest clearing, attended to by a handful of knights. The orange, flickering glow danced seductively along Vidar’s back as he stood, arms crossed, talking to a new rider who’d just joined them. He shifted his weight, instantly bringing to mind the way she had ordered him to turn his back to her. What in the stars was she doing? Because right now, in this moment, she needed to stop staring at his finely tuned ass and figure out her next move.
Oh, but his ass was so nice to watch. He shifted again and she forced her eyes away. Noticing that several of the men around the fire studied her, she gave them a smile she didn’t feel and made her way toward the tree line for a closer look into the depths of the forest.
All traces of Brigitte had faded from the forefront of her mind until the memories felt more like a book she’d read long ago. She knew the story, but the vivid details and feelings it evoked were gone. The mild headache and state of confusion she was left with would pass soon as well. Tomes had no idea how right he was when he mentioned the brain scramble. The implantation device was useful and made staying in character easier, but she wasn’t sure how many more times she would be able to use it.
Looking at the campfire, she thought, Not that I’ll have reason to use it here.
The full moon shone bright over the clearing, illuminating that which wasn’t orange with firelight. Beyond, though, inside the denser trees, only speckles managed to pass through to move softly over the forest floor. A stout breeze whipped her hair into her face and she tugged it back, absently pulling the long strands onto the back of her head to pin them into place.
“Your friend, Lady Jayne, has run away from her husband.” The low resonance of Vidar’s tone warmed her and she turned to look at him. A few of the men moved from around the fire to mount their horses and join the rider who’d come to the camp. “I fear it is not a good omen, considering Lady Paige also ran from her mate.”
“She’s not my friend,” Karre said distractedly, all the while thinking, Good for you, Jayne. I didn’t think any of you would have the guts to resist them.
And the truth was, Karre hadn’t believed it. She’d really thought the other brides were all talk.
“Where are they going?” She nodded to the departing men. The sounds of hooves beat over the night.
“To help Lord Ronen search. I can spare Sir Oskar and the others for a few days. We are away from the battlefront and no Caniba will harm us during this part of the journey.” He glanced around the encampment. Motioning to a low tent, he said, “If you would like to get out of the wind, we could—”
“Wait,” she broke in, “do you mean to imply that the Caniba might attack when we get to Spearhead?”
“Yea, it is possible.” He nodded. The strange combination of distant firelight silhouetted him while the moonlight contrasted his face into a ghostly pool of irregular shadows. “The borderlands are not as tamed as Battlewar Castle, but I will protect you. It is my duty.”
Karre brushed his comment aside. She could take care of herself. Then, as a cold chill crept over her, she shivered. Why hadn’t she considered his home before? “What manner of people are the Caniba again?”
“I do not wish to speak of such things to you,” he answered. “Not on this night.”
Even as he said it, his words from the day before unfurled in her head.
They are a dishonorable, disgusting people who eat the flesh of men and think only of pleasing their overlords.
“I would have you speak of such things to me,” she countered. “If I’m going to be put into danger, I have a right to know what it is I’m facing. Are they really as bad as you said before? Or is the whole man-eating thing just a story to scare tourists?”
“Tourists?” A heavy sigh left him and he instantly dismissed the question. “You have nothing to fear from the Caniba. You will not be running like the others and I will protect you.”
He seemed so sure of the fact. Not really lying, she agreed, “No, I have no plans to run away from you.” It was true. At this moment, she had no real plans of running away. Her plans consisted of finding something of value she could trade so that she might possibly later run away.
“Good. I do not know how much or how little Divinity told you about our world, but you otherworlders do not know this land or the dangers in it.” He looked as if he would lift his hand to beckon her to him, but she subtly shifted, letting the heavier shadows of nearby trees fall across her face. She hoped it hid her expressions.
“Do we need to look for Jayne?” Karre asked. She tried to never get emotionally invested with people from the planes she visited, but she couldn’t see leaving someone to die a horrible death by cannibals.
“I have promised to keep an eye out for the missing bride, but it looks as though she’s gone in a different direction. I need to get these supplies back to the fortress. There are matters there that await me.”
“What matters?” She curled her toes in the oversized boots she wore.
“They are matters of war,” he dismissed, as if that answer should have sufficed.
“Are you going to try to find where that Maggie’s encampment is?”
“Sorceress Magda.”
“Are you going to try to find where Sorceress Magda’s encampment is?” She crossed her arms over her chest, not liking the way he spoke to her—as if she were some silly woman who couldn’t possibly understand.
“There is no need to discuss it.”
“I want to discuss it,” she insisted in frustration.
This time the denial was firm, flat, final. Vidar crossed the distance to join her in the deep shadows. “I do not think you should worry yourself with—”
“Then I don’t think you should worry yourself with ever sleeping with me again. If you are going to treat me like a child, I’ll act like one. This is me pouting.” She dodged his hand, not bothering to uncross her arms as she skirted past him toward the fire.
Vidar watched her leave, frowning after her in confusion. He’d been told women had strange moods, but this was unexpected. Women were to be protected. Why would she wish to hear of the atrocities of the Caniba tonight, their wedding night? Surely, Divinity had told her everything she was required to know.
Perhaps this is another test?
The firelight outlined her as it had in Battlewar’s main hall, showing the shadow of her figure beneath her gown. His body stirred. She had less brains than a tree stump if she thought of never coming to his bed again. Then, hearing the laughter of the knights as she approached, he tensed. They couldn’t see what he did from their position, because the flames would cast her in orange light, but that didn’t stop him from stalking after her.
“My lady, please, join us by—” Lother, one of his warriors, said. The man shared a wife with three others and never showed a moment’s regret in the decision. Though the man was married and would not seek another, Vidar didn’t like the way Lother smiled at Lady Karre.
Vidar grabbed her arm tightly from behind and jerked her with him toward his tent. She gasped, her eyes widening as she looked at him in surprise. He thrust her in front of him and shielded her body from the view of the others. Sudden silence turned to a burst of noise as the men laughed at his supposed eagerness.
After several paces, he pushed open the front flap, pausing so she could lower her head and duck inside. Once they were alone, she ripped her arm from him. At first he couldn’t see her expression, but as his eyes adjusted to the dim light, he found her glaring angrily in his direction.
“Lay a rough hand on me again and I will bite it off.” The words came from behind her gritted teeth, as if she didn’t trust herself not to make good on the threat.
The venom in her words surprised him.
“You had better say you understand or Lady Jayne will not be the only woman running tonight.”
Surprise turned into a scowl. He stepped menacingly forward to tower over her. “I do not know where you come from, but in Staria we do not make threats we cannot carry out.”
“Do not presume to know me or what I am capable of. Oh, I assure you, the threats I speak out loud are the ones you should be least worried about.” A new passion came to her eyes. He knew he’d just met her and he shouldn’t be surprised by any of her expressions, but this one concerned him. First meek, almost innocently sweet, then giving, then calculatingly cold, then an outspoken bride, challenging him, controlling him, softly agreeing to stay with him only to now threaten abandonment and much worse. Who was this woman? Which of the temperaments was truly hers? Or were they all her, a mingling of mixed messages and teeming emotions inside one person, changing her as constantly as waves changed the ocean surface?
Then a thought unfurled in his brain, one he could not stop once it started. Lord Sorin had chosen his second wife this night, but the first, Lady Bianka, had tried to play Sorin false, throwing herself at every man who’d look at her. She had burned down Sorin’s family home of Firewall before seeking her carnal pleasures at the hands of the Caniba. Those monstrous beasts took what Bianka offered before ultimately taking her life. The tale was whispered amongst the people—a warning to young girls of the price of dishonor, a warning to men of the price of defying the gods.
“Perhaps you did not understand when your place in our world was explained to you.” He craned his neck, purposefully trying to scare her. “I will explain again. Marriages are unions, unbreakable, ending only in death. Women are to be protected and cared for. You will not run from me for I will do my duty and protect you, even if I must protect you from yourself. Women are to be provided for. I will provide for you. I will be a generous husband and you will not want for anything that is in my power to give you, so long as you do your duty. Threaten me again and I will punish you. Run from me and I will come for you. You are mine, my lady, and I do not let go of what is mine.”
He’d expected feminine outrage at his words, some kind of feverish denial. Instead, her face calmed and her eyes deadened of their angry passions. Vidar did not like the change in her. He did not like the anger, but this coldness was much worse.
So be it, he resigned himself. I cannot take back my words for I did not lie to her.
“Death, you say?” She arched a brow and leaned back to study his face. She touched where he’d grabbed her and began to rub. The motion was brief, as if she caught herself and changed her mind. His hand flexed with the urge to reach out and check to see if he had hurt her. He did not think his hold too firm, but then again, he was used to ordering about knights, not women. “So there is a way out.”
“I’ll pretend you meant to humor me with your wit.”
“Anything I want, huh?” Her eyes lit at the prospect. “What exactly is my duty? Because the only explanation I received was from the maid, Sera, insisting I sleep with you in order calm your bad temper.”
“Divinity—” he began.
“Knocked me unconscious and dragged me here as a prisoner. That is what I was doing in the hall,” she broke in. “I was escaping my captors.”
“Prisoner? What have you done?”
“I don’t suppose you would believe that I am innocent?” Karre chuckled. She didn’t meet his gaze as she began to walk around the tent. The one-room enclosure had been put up in a hurry as the men made camp. Usually, they would only bother with a tent if there was to be rain, instead choosing to sleep outside by the fire. However, considering the quickness of their departure on Vidar’s wedding night, he’d ordered the small comfort for his wife. All right, he’d ordered it for himself as well—for the privacy it would afford him with his bride. How was he to know she would fulfill his desires before leaving Battlewar?
He licked his lips, remembering just how good she’d felt. The tight grip of her quivering sex as she came, flooding him with her cream. A low groan sounded in the back of his throat and he fought to suppress it, remembering the feel of her breasts, the look of her parted thighs—thighs that welcomed him to slip inside.
Her feet absently kicked at the fur pelt on the ground, flipping it over before smoothing it right again with the tip of her toe. The words low, distant, she said, “I did nothing wrong.”
“Then the gods must have their reasons. They brought you to me. That is the only explanation. I regret that you did not travel here under the greatest of comfort, but if this is your destiny, then there was no stopping your arrival. This is our joined fate.”
She gave a soft laugh. “Will you tell me your expectations of my duties, or will you make me guess? Or is giving you untold pleasures in bed to be my only role?”
His cock jerked, completely satisfied with those terms. His head forced him to speak. “Women tend to a man’s home, though at Spearhead you will have to merely direct the servants to see to our needs.”
“All of our needs?” She gave him a playful smile. “Do you use the servants to—?”
“No, not those needs.” Vidar’s gut tightened at the thought of any other in her bed. After he’d met her, the idea of his bride taking more than one husband left him feeling a little cold. He did not want to share her talents with other men. The possessiveness took him by surprise. “The gods smile at Starian unions and, once we marry, we do not seek another. We stay faithful because the gods demand discipline. War demands discipline.”
“Marriage and war.” She laughed harder, though the sound was barely audible. Her shoulders shook. “That sounds about right.”
“Sera was correct in her advice to you.” His words lowered into a husky murmur. “If you please your husband, he will be of better temperament.”
“Out of all the planes, I have never heard that line used in such a way before. Though several times I have been told the penis will implode or explode if it is not massaged. Sorry, warrior, but you’re going to have to come up with a better line than that.”
He grimaced. “It is not a line. It is true.”
“If you insist.” She turned fully to him, giving up on kicking the furs. “So sex and housekeeping in exchange for anything I want? It sounds like being a kept woman.”
“Yea, I will keep you.” He nodded in agreement. “It is the will of the gods.”
Karre tried not laugh, as he misunderstood her meaning. But truly, what he proposed sounded more like a mistress than a wife—at least according to many of the planes she had been on.
When he had grabbed her arm in his bruising grip, dragging her like some piece of chattel into his tent, she’d snapped. The cool resolve of her façade had disappeared. Her arm ached, but she couldn’t be sure if it was the memory or an actual pain that stung the nerves.
Foolish, foolish, Karre, she admonished. No game is won without thinking, without control. Take back the control.
Funny how, in all her travels, she had never been put in this position. Sure, she’d had the chance to be a mistress. The course of action would even have been easier than, say, becoming the maid with blackened teeth and frizzy hair, but she always felt she was above using sex to get what she wanted. Okay, so as Sparkle, she had used her sex appeal, but it was hardly the same thing. A pang of guilt wrapped around her heart. That was exactly the arrangement she was making now. At least she was attracted to Vidar. He would make a fine lover.
Yes, lover, not keeper. That is how she would think of him. Lovers gave gifts to their mistresses all the time. It was not the same thing as stealing from him.
It’s all about perception.
“You do not speak of love,” she observed, “only of protection and sex.”
“Unions are made of necessity, not love,” he said.
“I’m glad to hear it. I would not have believed you if you said you loved me.” Karre ignored the small ache the admission caused, refusing to give the tightening inside her chest any credence.
“Starians love their country, their people, the sanctity of life, but there is no room for romantic love in our world.”
She coughed, pressing against the center of her chest. The knot didn’t loosen. At his concerned look, she explained, “Dust from the ride. I’m fine.”
“Would you like me to get you a drink?”
“Yes, please.” She nodded. He disappeared out of the tent.
Get control, Karre. Keep it together.
Karre absently pulled the clips from her hair, fluffing the locks in an effort to enhance her appearance. She looked down at the shapeless gown and frowned. With nothing else to replace it with, she pulled the material over her head and tossed it aside. Then, lying on the fur, she positioned her body carefully, tugging a wayward strand over her shoulder to curl around her breast.
“My lady, your—”
“Ah!” Karre gasped, covering her chest as a young knight walked in with a goblet. He made a strange noise, dropping it on the dirt floor. Red liquor flew across the tent making a slash over her stomach. “Watch it!”
It all happened in an instant. The young man stood, gaping at her waist where the liquor stained her flesh. She tried to push up, but with her arms over her chest, she wobbled and had to brace herself. The gesture exposed a breast. The man made a strange strangling sound before running from the tent as if the fires of hell were after him. Karre let out a burst of laughter.
“I brought food,” Vidar said as his hand appeared inside the flap. “What did you do to Groff? He ran into the forest looking like—” Vidar skidded to a stop, looking at her on the fur. He began to smile, but the look faded as he glanced behind him, back to her naked form, behind him once more. “I will string that boy up by his toes.”
“Wait.” Karre pushed up to stop him. “Leave him be. I think the fear of what you might do was enough. It’s not like he knew what he was walking into.” When he looked as if he might protest, she hurried to add, “What have you brought me?”
“Oh.” He looked at the trencher he carried. “Meat. The men roasted it on the fire.”
Karre lay back down, letting her fingers dance along the fur, as she purposefully drew attention to her naked waist. “Bring it to me.”
“Did Groff…?”
“Did he look?” Karre laughed, stretching along the fur. “A naked woman was lying on the floor in an otherwise sparsely decorated tent. Yes, he looked and then he ran for his life. Let him be.”
Vidar’s foot hit the goblet as he stepped forward. It spun and skidded to the edge of the tent. Karre leaned upon her elbow, cradling her head in her hand.
“You’re not scared of me, are you, warrior? You won’t run away to the forest, will you?” She turned, angling her shoulder back as he neared, giving him free view of her chest.
He knelt, shaking his head in denial as he set the plate near her chest. Karre reached forward to run the back of her hand against his cock, massaging him through his clothing. Already he was eager and hard. Vidar groaned.
“That knight got me wet,” she said. His groan turned into a scowl of rage, until she pointed at her hip. “He spilled wine.” She trailed a finger along her waist where the liquor was beginning to dry and stick.
Vidar moaned softly. Warm lips brushed her flesh and he began to lick her clean, sucking and biting at her flesh. She kept her hand on his cock, light and teasing. He slid his hand over her ass, cupping her cheek. When he slid his fingers along the back of her thigh, inching them to enter her pussy from behind, she stopped him.
“I’m hungry, warrior. I wish for you to feed me.” Karre knew she had her practical reasons for wanting to control him, but as her plan formed in her head, she found she liked their game. If she let him explore her as he’d been intent on doing, she wouldn’t be able to keep a straight head.
Vidar lifted a piece of meat from the trencher. Karre pursed her lips and shook her head, refusing to take it. She rubbed his cock harder, rolling forward just enough to reach his balls.
“Take off your clothes so that I may feast.” She licked her lips.
Instantly, the shirt was pulled off his chest and thrown at the side of the tent. In his eagerness, he shook as he jerked at the laces. Standing, he kicked his feet to rid himself of his boots as he pushed off the pants. Karre put her head on her hand again, resting against it.
“Feed me,” she ordered, not moving as she opened her mouth wide.
Vidar grabbed his cock, stroking it a few times as he knelt back down. The towering shaft bobbed near her face. She reached out with her tongue, licking the smooth tip. He touched her breast, lifting it in his palm, smashing the nipple with his palm until it hardened against him. Walking forward on his knees, he brought his erection closer. Karre sucked him a little deeper, taking the full head into her mouth. Her lips hooked on the ridge as she sucked.
He groaned, reaching over her head. Vidar crawled on top of her, straddling her shoulders as he rested on all fours. The motion turned her onto her back and angled his cock toward her face. Karre gasped in surprise and he took advantage, thrusting his cock deeper into her mouth, nearly choking her on its thick length.
She took hold of his hips to control the depth. His hips worked, fucking her mouth, gliding along her lips and teeth. When he learned the limits of her mouth, she took hold of his balls, rolling them as she sucked hard.
“I enjoy feeding you,” he whispered, the admission harsh as it came from above her head. Karre’s lungs burned and she was forced to push his hips, taking his cock from her mouth. Protesting, he groaned. “I am not finished. I wish for you to drink me as well.”
Gasping for breath, she pushed her large breasts together and looked up at him. His eyes glinted as he got her meaning. All thoughts of her sucking him to completion must have left him because he hungrily lowered his body along hers until his cock fit in the crease of her breasts.
“Now you may come,” she said, as if granting him permission.
“Oh,” he grunted, pumping so his inner thighs pinned her body down. The intimate smell of his erection filled her senses as the wide tip bumped into her chin. “I enjoy your breasts. So warm and soft and full.” He began to find release, the movement of his hips becoming jerky. As he came, he kept moving, spilling his seed over her throat to form a warm necklace before drawing the moisture between her tightly pressed breasts to make his cock slide in his own juices.
He stopped, breathing hard and not moving to take his cock from between her breasts, even as she released their hold on him. Karre raked her nails up his hips and moaned. He might have come, but her body’s arousal was merely heightened by the display.
He crawled down, staying above her as he kept her against the floor with the canopy of his body. Bending at the elbows, he leaned down to kiss her mouth.
“I am wet again, warrior,” she said before his lips could find their mark.
He furrowed his brow as he looked at the cum he’d squirted around her neck. She saw the moment realization dawned on him. Karre laughed as he reached for a discarded piece of clothing to wipe her clean. The rough material scratched her skin. When he finished, he grinned as if he thought himself very clever. He leaned to kiss her again.
“It is your turn to dine,” she said, stopping his mouth once more. She pushed at his shoulder and spread her legs until they bumped the barrier of his body. When he didn’t move fast enough, she slipped her hand between them and began rubbing her clit in tiny circles. “Fuck me with your tongue.”
He followed her gaze down to where she masturbated. “You wish for me…? I have never dined on a woman there.”
As if fascinated and hesitant at the same time, he crawled down her body. She threaded her legs along the outside of his. He licked his lips and she nearly screamed at the seductive agony of his contemplation. Slipping two fingers along the folds, she parted the soft lips. Then, reaching for his hair, she pulled him to her pussy before falling back onto the furs.
Hot breath fanned the parted folds and she pushed on her heels to lift her ass off the ground. His tongue reached slowly to her clit to flick the bud, as if tasting a foreign dish for the first time. He drew he tongue back, as if sampling her intimate taste. A low moan escaped him as he did it again. Then, with increasing eagerness, he ran the flat of his tongue up her folds, over her fingers.
Vidar adjusted his weight to lie more comfortably between her legs. He grabbed her wrist and tossed her hand out of his way. Like a starving man at a fresh spring, he began sucking and drinking her pussy. His hands grabbed hold of her legs, keeping her firm to his mouth as he smothered his face into her folds. His nose stroked her clit as he shoved his tongue inside her cavern. He moaned, vibrating her with the sound. Never had she had such an enthusiastic partner.
Karre bit her lip as she came against his face, shaking and trembling as her moisture coated him. He didn’t stop and the sensations became too much. She pushed at his head, gasping, “Enough, Vidar, enough.”
He pulled back with a self-satisfied grin. “I will be doing that again, my lady, but for now your taste has made me hard.” He crawled up her body and she felt the heat of his cock brush her thigh. The velvety smooth shaft was heavy with desire. “I would like to ride you.”
Still weak from release, she opened her mouth to speak, but he was already set on his course. He brought his cock to her still slick opening and thrust inside. Vidar made a primitive noise of satisfaction as her pussy accepted him.
Wildly, he fucked her, biting his lips as he watched her breasts bounce around with each thrust. The hard sex caused little jolts of pain deep inside her sex, but the instant pleasure following it more than made up for any discomfort. His gorgeous muscles tightened and flexed, captivating her as her breasts did him.
He grabbed a breast and squeezed, pinching the nipple between two fingers. Tension shot throughout her entire being. His mouth opened wide and she knew he held back. “Finish for me,” he demanded. “Give me my prize.”
Karre came, hitting her zenith with a gentle cry of relief. Seconds later he froze over her, staying buried as he met with release. With a deep, almost pained sigh, he collapsed next to her and pulled her hot body against his even hotter chest. Grabbing a breast in his palm, he closed his eyes. “I am well satisfied. My lady may have whatever she desires.”
The pleasure of release diminished some at his words. He’d meant it as a compliment, but it left her feeling a little bit like a whore being paid for services. She thought about inching away from him but she was too tired to move.